Shards of Life
by Gunius
Summary: Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kagome final stages of their quest. But stronger more sinister enemies lay down a long and winding path and what the gang doesn't realize is that their adventure has only just begun.
1. Episode 1

Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kagome are nearing the end of their journey. The last few remaining jewel shards lay in the hands of Naraku, Kouga and Kohaku. Their impending struggle with Naraku will decide the fates of themselves and others. But battles more treacherous than they one they will face with Naraku lay at hand where the lines between good and evil will meet in cataclysmic clash to the death, and what Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kagome don't realize is that their adventure has only just begun.

Welcome to The (Untitled) Trilogy (title subject to change)

**Shards of Life**

**Episode 1 ****  
****Kikyou's Warning**

Silence encompassed them as they walked down the dirt road, the tension weighing down on them like a heavy rain cloud. Inuyasha and Kagome had been arguing earlier and even now they were still mad at each other. Even though they were the only ones actually fighting, an awkward silence still stood between the group of companions. No matter how hard they tried to keep the peace it seemed like anything could set the two against each other these days. The conflicts always seemed to escalate from a trivial easy-to-solve situation to them shouting insults at each other.

Naraku had once again gone into hiding. After their last encounter with him Kagome helped Inuyasha defeat the demon that threatened to consume his humanity once again. Inuyasha thought maybe those few minutes of intimacy would perhaps strengthen their bond. Instead it only increased the rift between them. Something had changed and Inuyasha couldn't quite put his finger on it but he knew something about Kagome had changed. She was lost some place in her mind where he couldn't reach her, couldn't comfort her, and worst of all couldn't protect her. Kagome knew she was upsetting him, but she had become so wrapped up in herself she sometimes forgot how much it affected him. That was how this particular argument had started. She said something slightly irritating, so he got mad, and then she became mad because she thought he had no reason to be mad, which made him even madder, and everything just went downhill from there.

They continued down the trail with clouded minds and heavy hearts. Even Shippou felt the tension between them compelling him to do something to end it. Sango and Miroku on the other hand had ceased all attempts at conversation. Despite all the turmoil within their group the surroundings seemed to lighten the mood a little. The grass was so green and life sprung forth from the earth, the trees, and the bushes. Inside the tightly wound buds lay the young flowers, almost ready to blossom into the world and initiate the birth of the new years spring. A light breeze danced around them teasing them, enticing them to sprout further and bask in the rays of the sun.

It didn't brighten Shippou's mood though; determined to break the negativity between them all he made one last attempt at conversation.

"It sure is nice outside, huh Kagome?" rather cliché but effective.

"Hm? Oh yes Shippou you're right, it is really nice outside." It seemed Shippou's quiet remark had brought them all out of their troubled stupor. Even Inuyasha paused for a moment to look at the wonders that spring had brought.

"C'mon, let's go! We don't have time to stand around and look at the daises all day." Inuyasha huffed.

"_That's just like him! Always wanting to rush ahead so we can go do what **he** wants!"_ Kagome knew those thoughts were petty and immature, but for some reason she wanted to get back at him for earlier that day. She knew she was partly to blame for it but she still felt angry and somehow needed to let out her frustrations even if only in her thoughts.

Shippou was also becoming fed-up with Inuyasha's blatant attempts to destroy any remaining relationship he had with Kagome (at least Shippou thought he was). He hopped out of Kagome's basket and walked over to his side.

He let out a long sigh to get Inuyasha's attention. "You know you _could've_ let us stay a bit longer. It is really nice outside, after all." Inuyasha ignored him as usual.

"Why do you always have to be so impatient?" Inuyasha finally losing his patience was just about to unleash his temper when suddenly he went rigid. All his senses became alert, anodd feeling overtook him.

'_Something's not right.'_ He looked in the distance, towards the shrubs and trees. Nothing seemed out of order and yet he still felt like something was wrong.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called in the distance. "It's a youkai." Inuyasha sensed it too, the aura of a demon and one that was very close. In fact it seemed to be right under them.

'_Damn, how did he figure that out before I did?'_ Inuyasha thought.

Every one stood rigid and ready to fight. Kirara had transformed with Shippou sitting between the tuffs of fur behind her neck. She began to growl menacingly at their unseen foe.

"_Ahhhh_!" Kagome's scream came out of nowhere as a huge brown root shot up from the ground, grabbed a hold of her ankle and began to drag her away. Inuyasha jumped in, just in time to cut the branch from around her foot. The earth began to shake violently and a large crack formed in the center of the field growing wider and wider.

"It's an earthquake!" yelled Shippou. Something shot up from the ground beneath them, sending Sango and Miroku flying up into the air, Kirara just barely breaking their fall. A giant man eating plant youkai had shot straight from beneath their feet, the giant arm like vines clearly visible from where they were standing. They were wide enough to fit three of Kirara's larger forms around them, and long enough to stretch across half the expanse of the little clearing they were in. They whipped through the air violently, knocking down anything that crossed their path. Kirara pivoted around the its swinging arms with Sango, and Miroku on her back; Shippou having jumped off at the last minute, was safely on the ground.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango was the first one to launch an attack at the demon. The arm like vine she cut off fell to ground squirming and writhing before it finally fell still. Inuyasha jumped from limb to limb trying to reach the top of the plant youkai. Its head was a massive flower similar to the infamous Venous Fly Trap plant. The wide oval shaped head opened its jaws, allowing Inuyasha to see the inside of it's mouth covered in teeth.

Inuyasha cut off arm after arm on the plant youkai which truthfully accomplished nothing except to tire Inuyasha out. He never seemed to run out of things to chop off. After a while he began hearing faint voices in the back of his head. At first he just ignored them but soon they became louder and stronger and more persistent. It wasn't until he looked for Kagome and Shippou again that he realized the voices were that of Sango and Miroku. They flew up to where he could hear them clearly.

"Inuyasha, you have to stop cutting the off its arms." Yelled Miroku

"What for?"

"I'll explain in a moment, just stop."

Inuyasha thought about it for a few minutes before he finally deciding that Miroku must have some plan.

"_Well it's not like it's doing me any goo'_ Inuyasha thought to himself.

He jumped to the ground as the giant plant continued to flail its arms in a mad frenzy, knocking down tress, and destroying the once peaceful landscape.

He landed next to Kagome. "Inuyasha the branches just keep growing back, bigger and stronger."

"What do we do!" asked a panicking Shippou

"Keh, I'll just use the Wind Scar." Said Inuyasha. He charged directly at it, making him vulnerable to attack but giving him room to use the Wind Scar to its fullest.

"Kaze no Kizu!" The Wind Scar sparked and crackled as it sliced through the demonic aura. The plant youkai was destroyed in a matter of moments. There was a large dark spot on the ground where the plant youkai once stood and the cracked earth where the Wind Scar had slashed through it.

The group waited a few moments before deciding it was finally dead.

"Phew." Shippou let out a sigh of relief. As soon as Kagome gathered her things they could be on there way again. Just as they were about to leave the earth began to shake again, and the huge plant demon sprouted from the earth, twice as big and fierce. The large green vine like arms, were now a darker forest green, sporting thorns big enough to impale a human. The vines also grew twice as long, and snapped like a whip at the ground making marks in the earth. The flytrap mouth now had a huge brown tongue that looked like a root coming from the back of its throat. Its head moved around in every direction, trying to seek out fresh meat for its next meal. Sango tried to block the vines with her hiraikotsu, and Miroku did also with his shakujou trying not to chop them off for fear they would grow back again even stronger.

"_Why didn't the Wind Scar work?"_ Kagome thought to herself. _'It should have been powerful enough to-' _She paused for a moment_ 'Wait a second, if this is a plant youkai then it probably has roots and that means-'_

"Inuyasha!" she called, he landed next to her a few moments later. "Inuyasha, I know why the Wind Scar didn't work. Since it's a plant youkai, then it has roots buried underground."

"So?"

She gave him an exasperated look "So, that's why the Wind Scar didn't work. It just kept regenerating and getting stronger from the roots. You have to destroy the whole thing."

Inuyasha paused in surprise for a moment. "Right!" At that instant, he jumped up to the tallest tree he could find and then to the head of the plant youkai, trying to avoid the thorny arms that lunged at him. He had a little trouble standing on the it's head since it was constantly moving around trying to attack him, making him lose his footing.

"Sango, Miroku, get out of the way!"

Kirara flew down near Kagome with Miroku and Sango on her back. During a second long pause Inuyasha jumped high above the youkai's head and unleashed the Wind Scar at a downward angle. Every one shielded themselves from the dust, wind, and light, created by it. Once it was it finally over, Inuyasha landed lightly next to the huge crater he created from the blast. All traces of the plant youkai were gone.

"Is it over?" asked Sango.

"I think so. The Wind Scar should have destroyed all of it this time." Answered Miroku.

"Let's check around just to make sure." Added Inuyasha.

"Good idea." They wandered around searching for any remaining parts, making sure to look hard just in case small pieces of it remained. In the midst of the searching something strange began to float out of the exact spot on the ground where the Wind Scar hit. It was long and slender and looked similar to Kikyou's shinidamachuu. The only exception was that the features of its head weren't nearly as detailed. It slithered out of the ground like a worm through mud and once its entire body was free from the ground it glided through the air towards the forest. Its body seemed so hollow and it's presence so weak that it floated through the air like a ghost or the air itself.

'_What is that?' _Inuyasha wondered.

It continued to head towards the forest at an alarming speed.

"Hey Inuyasha, look!" Shippou called

"It sort of looks like one of Kikyou's shinidamachuu." remarked Sango.

Before anyone had a chance to get a closer look Inuyasha had already chased after it into the forest. Kagome gazed after him as he ran further and further away. Sango although confused by Kagome's distressed look offered comfort.

"Don't worry, he'll come back soon."

"I know." But as she turned around there was still a hint of doubt that clouded her mind. The others made their way back to the village. Kagome followed slowly behind.

'_Inuyasha…'_

&

"It didn't' work." The first stated. His deep malicious voice filled the room. It suffocated any who heard it with thoughts of hatred and vengeance.

"On the contrary, it worked just as I had planned." The second spoke out, his voice much smoother and composed.

&

The stars slept peacefully on a blanket of darkness covering the sky shielding any light from reaching the somber, lonely ground. Crickets chirped and all the animals of night came out to experience the pleasures of life.

In a small village within Musashi's province a small group sat in the house of an old priestess thinking about the day' s events.

Miroku sipped the tea quietly, Sango sat in the corner stroking Kirara to sleep, and Shippou gulped down his food near the fire.

"Here you are child." Kaede handed Kagome a cup of tea. She said thank you and took it quietly without drinking it.

"Is there something wrong Kagome? You seem troubled." Kagome looked up in surprise.

"No, I'm fine Kaede-obaachan." Kaede stared at her for a little while, as if wondering whether or not she was telling the truth. She finally decided to sit down between Sango and Miroku. They all sat there in silence, enjoying the comfort of one another's company. Shippou had finished his dinner and promptly fell asleep next to Kagome's sleeping bag. Kagome, herself was also beginning to feel sleepy and started to rub her eyes. On the other side of the room, Sango noticed Kagome's still forlorn manner. She naturally assumed it was because several hours had gone by and Inuyasha still had not returned. She thought about saying something, but did not want to make the situation worse by badgering her, although now she was having second thoughts.

"Kagome-chan I-"

She yawned in the middle of Sango's sentence "I'm getting really tired. I think I'm going to go to sleep now. Goodnight everyone." She fell back onto her sleeping bag before Sango could finish. She looked towards Miroku who just shrugged his shoulders. Kaede had also already fallen asleep near the wall of the hut. The rest of them also fell into a restless sleep, thoughts of the day's events clouding their minds.

Rays of sun broke through the quiet of night, tearing through the blanket of darkness and scattering the stars into some foreign distance, giving the earth a chance to soak up the light of day.

Inuyasha walked through weeded door of the hut, expecting to find everyone there, but instead he only saw Miroku, and Shippou. He came over and sat by the fire next to Shippou.

"Where were you all night?" asked Miroku

"Hmph. None of your business." Inuyasha wasn't in the mood to talk about the events of last night.

"Kagome's not here if you're wondering." Said Shippou, he just shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care. "She went back to her time early this morning."

"And Sango went off to help Kaede." added Miroku. Shippou sat in the corner wondering to himself.

"I hope she brings me something back." Inuyasha and Miroku both looked at him puzzlingly. He hadn't realized he was speaking out loud.

Miroku looked at Inuyasha wondering why he wouldn't mention anything that happened. He assumed it must have been pretty serious if Inuyasha wouldn't at least say 'nothing' had happened.

"Come along Shippou. Let's go help Kaede and Sango." Shippou looked at Miroku puzzlingly. It wasn't like him to offer to do things like this. He assumed Miroku just wanted to go look at the village girls. As a matter of fact though it was nothing of the sort. He simply decided Inuyasha might need some time alone to gather his thoughts. So Inuyasha sat in the hut alone for about five minutes going over the last night's scene in his head.

"_Damn it, I've been chasing this thing for hours and just keep's on flying in the same direction. It doesn't even look like it's going anywhere."_

_The strange creature soared just high enough above the trees so Inuyasha could see it. For something so small and lifeless it traveled at an amazing speed. Even Inuyasha was having trouble trying to stay on its trail. He was just beginning to catch up with it when a certain smell crashed into his senses. He tried his best to overlook it but the scent lingered on. In his own attempt to ignore it he had unknowingly lost track of the strange creature. Cursing his own foolishness he jumped through the canvas of trees overhead hoping to spot it from below. It was nowhere in sight._

_Finally giving into his body's desires he trailed off in the direction of her scent._

_He jumped through a thicket of dead trees and broken branches, beginning to feel her aura. The cold and uninviting presence was unmistakable, but he knew it well and did not hesitate. He slowed his running to a halt and searched his surroundings. Walking a little further he could clearly see her in the distance, even though the forest was pitch black. The radiance of her ghostly aura illuminated the tress highlighting everything around her with strange unearthly glow. The scent of clay, and bones assaulted his nostrils. She was walking down a steep hill near an old dead tree._

_He didn't approach her immediately, but instead studied her for a moment. An odd feeling of déjà vu overtook him. He remembered when they had first met and he tried to steal the Shikon no Tama. He was sure when she released her arrow he would be killed. Instead her arrow missed his chest and pinned his sleeve to a tree. As she walked away he screamed at her to come back and finish him. _

_She turned around, a look of calm wonder upon her face and said, 'Why would I want to kill you Inuyasha? You're not worth my time.' _

_The smart retort got on his nerves and yet somewhere in a part of his mind which he would have never had admitted even existed at that time, he **had** wanted her to come back. That was nearly fifty years ago and he still yearned for her presence. Even now as the woman who walked the earth as a hollow corpse trapped between the realms of life and death the need to protect her was still there, to make up for what he had lost or had failed to do fifty years ago. They both knew it wasn't his fault, nor hers, yet he also knew that just as her soul could never rest until her assassin was dead, he could not rest in peace knowing her situation and not grant it even a fragment of his attention. He wasn't sure if there was still in any love left in him for her but he would have had an easier time ignoring an infected wound. _

"_At least flesh wounds always heal."_

"_I know you're there Inuyasha."_

_He paused for a few moments, unsure of what to say. _

"_Kikyou…Earlier today…"_

"_Damn it just come right out and say it!"_

"_Look I know it sounds crazy but did you send one of your shinidamachuu after us. After I killed that youkai…I could have sworn it was one of yours."_

_She didn't spare him a glance. The aura surrounding her glowed brighter. Another shinidamachuu came and dropped a soul into her as she turned around. She stroked its back as it flew away again. _

"_Isn't life strange Inuyasha. One minute it's there in all its radiance and yet it can be so easily taken away. Like blowing out a small flame."_

_The scent of earth and herbs flooded his nose, as he stared down at her._

"_What does that mean? Is she talking about herself?"_

"_Even stranger is, how if one gives life should that life be forever in debt to its creator? Should it not have a soul of its own?"_

_Her riddled speech was confusing and exasperating all at the same time. _

"_Or is it not technically a life at all. But merely a will to be nothing more than a slave to its owner and perhaps itself." She stopped just as she was about the walk away from him and said:_

"_You should be wary Inuyasha; there are others who seek your life whose ambitions are far less 'kindly' than mine." And with that last thought she vanished from his sight. _

_What Inuyasha was supposed to do with this information he wasn't sure but better to think it over somewhere in a less uninviting atmosphere._

For the rest of his night, he sat on the top branches of a lone tree near a lake, reflecting on what she had said to him. He had returned to the village close to sunrise, and left again before everyone awoke. It of course gave the illusion that he was gone all night though. He could have told Miroku that and saved himself a lot of trouble and heartache, but he hated talking about his meetings with Kikyou, and after his all-night rendezvous he just wasn't feeling up to it.

Ten minutes past and feeling bored Inuyasha left the hut to sit at the well and wait for Kagome to return. In the mean time he hassled himself on whether or not he should bring her back himself.

&

Kagome lay on her bed stroking Buyo's fur. The smell of her mother's cooking wafted up to her room enticing her to see what she was making. She was too tired to move though so figuring her mother would call her when dinner was ready, she stayed in her room. Somehow thoughts of Inuyasha drifted into her head. Was he okay? Had he followed that strange creature into a trap? Was he lying somewhere injured or hurt with no one to help him?

"No." she accidentally said it out loud.

"_That's ridiculous. Inuyasha wouldn't get himself into that much trouble." _But doubt still lingered. As much faith as she had in him sometimes she wondered. For each time he left every nerve in her body screamed to tell him to stay, to beg, to plead, anything just so he wouldn't leave her. Leave her to wonder whether or not he would come back unharmed, or at all. But she couldn't do that to him. To ask him that would betray her feelings for him, and that would mean putting her heart at risk once more. She didn't think she could take the pain of having it broken by him. Whenever she thought of him injured or worse possible…dead. The tears threatened to fall while worry and anxiety took over.

"_He didn't come back last night" _She had left early that morning hoping he wouldn't be there, only because she didn't want to have to explain why she was leaving so soon. But mainly because she didn't want to face him, since that kind of encounter would only lead to them fighting again.

"_I would ask him where he had been all night, and he probably wouldn't give me a straight answer. Then I would get mad just like I always do." _She sighed and sat up from her bed_. "and storm off somewhere leaving him to sulk"_

"Oh, what I am I worrying about him for. Inuyasha can take care of himself!"

"_He's not a baby and he's done it plenty of times before. This time is no different."_

"I finally get to come home and here I am crying over nothing." And then it hit her. She had been crying. _"Why?" _ she asked herself. Because continuing to tell herself that he was fine wasn't enough anymore. She needed to see him, needed physical evidence that he truly was unharmed.

"_When did this start?" _she wondered. _"When did I start agonizing over the silliest things? I know Inuyasha is fine, I **know **it. So why am still so scared for him?" _She knew the answer.

"_Because I…I…lo-like him. As a friend. As a very close friend, whose there for me when I need him. It's normal to worry about a friend's safety, even if it is a hanyou who's practically invincible. That must be the reason."_

The reason was, unspeakable. Because to speak it even in her own thoughts would be to admit to its truth. Earlier in the stage admitting it would have been all right. She had accepted it, known it, and lived with its costs. But now the price was too high and the connection was too strong. Too strong to feel it, to know with all your heart that it was there and not be able to act on it. She wanted to be able to keep the balance between them as stable as possible. If that meant pushing her feelings away, even pushing him away (to an extent) then that's what she would do.

'_Our friendship is more important than just my feelings.'_

So she left her room in a determined huff, leaving Buyo on her bed meowing for more attention. Souta met her at the door just as she neared the last step.

"Hey sis, when did you get back?"

"Just a little while ago." She walked away, leaving Souta in the hallway. The smell of her mother's cooking, once again drew her into the kitchen. Her mother was in there, stirring a large pot.

"Wow, that smells really good mama."

"Dinner will be ready in a little while dear." That still left her with a little while longer with nothing to do. Being so used to the outdoors by now, she decided maybe a short walk would cure her of her boredom. Being away so often and for so long gave her a new appreciation for the little things here at home. The quiet serenity of the shrine was defiantly a huge break from the wilds of Sengoku Jidai. Fighting youkai can really take it out of a person, physically and mentally (and emotionally).

Walking around the shrine eventually led her to the spot, which started all of this. The Goshinboku brought back some old memories.

'_I wonder if he misses me?'_ but she shook these thoughts out of her mind and continued on her walk.

At the same time Inuyasha still sat at the well contemplating whether or not he should go after her. He made a pattern of pacing around the well, then sitting on the side for a while, staring down into it, and then repeating the whole process all over again. He did this all night long.

Kagome awoke early that morning, so she would have more time to pack and leave before it became too late. She said goodbye to her mother on the way out and ran over to the well house. With her backpack being so big and bulky it made the task much more difficult. She jumped into the well and landed softly on the other side. Looking up at the tall stonewalls she began to dread the long climb ahead of her and briefly wondered why Inuyasha wasn't there to help her. Her answer came in the form of a loud snore. A pair of small dog-ears covered in white tuffs of hair greeted her as she pulled herself out. Inuyasha was sound asleep on the side of the well.

She sat on the edge staring at him. _'And to think I was worried he wouldn't miss me'_. Knowing his ego had probably stopped him from coming to see her. _'Oh well, at least he got some rest'_. She sat there for a while wondering if he would wake up and notice her.

'_He doesn't normally sleep this late. But then again, if I had stayed up two nights in a row I'd be tired too'._ She waited a little while longer before she decided to climb back into the well. She knew being caught waiting for her would embarrass him so she decided it was better if he never knew she saw him. She climbed down just before she reached the top of the well and made a small noise to get his attention. He was up almost instantly.

"Kagome!" He looked grabbed her backpack and hauled her out of the well.

"Hey."

"Hey…um when did you get back?"

"Just now." Inuyasha noticed the cheerfulness in her voice and wondered if she was upset with him for yesterday.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, sure, let's go." He carried her backpack and they walked back to the village together in silence.

'_I guess not'_

**End of Episode 1**

**&**

**  
Episode 2  
The Family Legend**

After destroying the plant demon Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Kagome, and Shippou take a short rest at Kaede's house and are once again on their way. Once they leave Kaede's village and have traveled a while since, they find an old abandoned shack and take refuge in it from the rain. But they awake the next morning to find some strange things going on around the hut…


	2. Episode 2

**Shards of Life**

**Episode 2  
The Family Legend**

Sesshoumaru walked silently through the forest, his steps becoming irregular and slow until he stopped abruptly. Jaken trailed a little ways behind him leading Aun with Rin on his back.

"Sesshoumaru sama why are we stopping?" Rin lay half asleep on Aun's saddle but awoke when she felt him jerk to a stop. Jaken on the other hand had been so busy complaining to himself about how loud Rin snored that he barley missed bumping into Sesshoumaru's leg.

"Uh, Sesshoumaru sama …" He ignored them both, lost in his own thoughts.

"_That scent, I know it from somewhere. It's Naraku or one of his incarnations." _

Sesshomaru headed in the direction of the scent; Rin and Jaken called after him as he walked away.

"Stay here." He commanded, and left them to stare at him from behind.

&

Shippou sighed loudly for the umpteenth time. His past few hours of moaning and groaning were straining Inuyasha's nerves to the breaking point. A light drizzle began and looked as though it might become worse.

"Will you stop complaining already?" Inuyasha yelled

"Well maybe I wouldn't if we didn't have to walk aimlessly around in the rain!" Shippou yelled back

"We're not walking aimlessly _okay_?"

"Then where exactly are we going Inuyasha?" Miroku interrupted.

"To find Naraku and get the rest of his jewel shards. Where else?"

"And do you know where Naraku is?" Inuyasha stopped in his tracks wracking his brain for something reasonable to say.

His grumbling was all the answer Miroku needed

"In that case I think a rest stop is in order." Said Miroku

"We should at least get out of this rain." Added Sango.

&

Thousands of heavy raindrops sped through the air, shattering upon impact with the ground and soaking everything above and below the earth. Monstrous gray clouds surrounded the sky, blocking the small rays of light that fought to pierce through the violent storm.

Water dripped through creaks of the old thatched hut, forming small puddles of water on the floor. Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kagome were huddled around the small fire in the center. All of them slept silently through the raging thunderstorm; only Inuyasha remained awake, staring at the fierce yet silent battle between earth and sky.

Kagome shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight peeking through the cracks in hut as she awoke from her slumber. After stretching a bit she found she was alone in the little cabin. She frowned at all the noise comming from outside, not remembering there being many people around. Rickety cartwheels, a horse trotting, children laughing, and various other conversations.

She sat up from the small pile of straw she slept on and walked outside to find her friends, all of them staring at the same thing. An entire village had appeared over night! People carried bundles with things to sell, children tugged on the mother's cloths, various animals ran around and an entire village was now surrounding the small broken hut they had slept in.

Shippou rubbed his eyes "Is all this real?" he asked.

"Either that or we're all seeing things." Miroku replied.

"Then how is itpossible?" asked Sango.

Inuyasha looked around concentrating hard on something

"I don't smell any youkai near." He sniffed the air again.

"We should split up and ask around. Maybe theses villagers know something." Said Sango

"Good idea." They all walked off in different directions wondering around the village, trying to get information. Not too soon had they realized though that such a simple feat would prove to be more difficult than they thought. The villagers refused to respond to any of their questions in fact they ignored them completely. No matter how polite they asked, every person they attempted to talk to would just walk right past them as if they were invisible. Inuyasha jumped from rooftop to rooftop observing from above. No one seemed to notice him. A few would look up and stare at him strangely for a minute but then suddenly look away, like someone who had just been caught looking at something they shouldn't have. Eventually though his impatience got the better of him. He jumped down from one of the huts and landed in front of a young boy whom he grabbed by the top of his shirt. It wasn't until the boy turned around and looked Inuyasha straight in the eye that he noticed he was being held.

"What's going on here!" He demanded from the boy "Where did this village come from and why do all the people ignore us!" The boy just trembled in Inuyasha's hand to afraid to say anything.

"Hey!" Kagome called from the distance "Let him go Inuyasha." The boy scrambled clumsily to his feet, trying to back away from Inuyasha as he did so.

"Don't worry young man, we mean you know harm." Miroku said. The boy looked at them for a moment, as if he was trying to decide whether or not to trust them. He looked to be about 13 or 14 years old.

"Don't worry about Inuyasha, he's harmless." Said Kagome

"_For most people at least…"_

After the reassurance from the Miroku and Kagome the boy finally seemed to relax.

He stared at them for a minute "Are you all here to do business?" he asked meekly

"No we're just travelers."

He looked surprised "You're the first we've had today."

"Does your village often receive visitors?" asked Sango

"Oh yes all the time. Usually only merchants though." They glanced at each other. The old hut they slept in had been practically in the middle of nowhere. They found it while traveling through a dense forest on the side of a small mountain. It didn't seem like the type of place people could find easily (or at all). It was strange enough to be in a village that seemed to disappear and then reappear over night, but even stranger were the villagers that refused to talk unless threatened, and then claimed that they had travelers going in and out of a back wood village in the middle of a thick forest everyday.

"Oh no, the village gets most of its income from trading and selling." Another shock.

"What does your village sell?" asked Sango

"Many things!" He seemed awfully enthusiastic about being able to talk to someone about this. "From various types of rocks and minerals to-"

"All right all right, enough of all this friendly talk!" Inuyasha stepped forward to face him. "How is it that your village can be gone all night long, and then all of a sudden reappear in the middle of the morning without any of us knowing!"

The boy stared at him uncomprehendingly "Gone? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Inuyasha I really don't think he knows anything about it." Kagome suggested.

"Yeah, why else would he be acting that way?" Shippou chimed in.

"He's right you know." Added Sango, Miroku just nodded his head. Inuyasha groaned.

"Would you be willing to show us around your village a little? Asked Kagome

"Of course!" He was practically ecstatic and began running ahead of them but then hastily turned back. "By the way my name is Abe Matsuto."

"Nice to meet you Matsuto. That's Sango and Kirara," She pointed to them as she said their names "that's Miroku, that's Inuyasha," He cringed as she said his name, "this is Shippou and I'm Kagome."

"Nice to meet you all." Sango began to reminisce . Her father once told her a story about a village like this. It mined precious jewels and gems of all kinds but also harbored a terrible secret. Over a thousand years ago rumors spread of a stone that wielded incredible power. It was similar to the Shikon no Tama of today except the energy of stone was completely tainted by evil, so much that most humans could not touch it without being completely devoured by its malice. There was once a man who valued power more than his own humanity. In his greed and obsession with the stone he lost his own life in order to obtain it. He wanted to wield an object so powerful that he would be able to control life and death itself. Eventually the stone became so powerful that its malevolence could not be contained in just one area and it spread to every corner of the land. Once it was discovered the stone was then taken by a group of monks and hidden away in a small village surrounded by a dense forest, in hopes that people would no longer search for it. Eventually the village was forgotten and the stone was never heard of again. But that was over a thousand years ago, so she supposed it didn't really matter now.

"Matsuto you said something about selling minerals didn't you?" asked Sango

"Yes our village mines for profit. We look for whatever rock or metal we can find and then sell it or trade it. It's where most of the village's income comes from. If you want I could take you to the very spot where we do most of the digging."

"Wow, that would be wonderful." Said Kagome and he began walking them through the village. Inuyasha, who trailed in back, walked faster to catch up with the rest of them. He was already upset because they had strayed off Naraku's trail (or what Inuyasha believed to be a trail) and now they would have to spend even more time in this strange village. But he kept his temper in check since he wasn't in the mood to get into another fight with Kagome.

"Kagome what are you doing?" He said in a rather loudly "We're supposed to be looking for Naraku not off wondering around in some village." Kagome hushed him, she didn't want Matsuto to hear them and be offended.

"Inuyasha there's something wrong with this place and we need to figure out what it is."

"What for?"

"Because Inuyasha," Miroku stepped next him "whatever is going on with this village could be Naraku's doing so if we figure out what it is we might find a lead to Naraku's location." Matsuto was a little ways a head, waiting for them to catch up. In the midst of their conversation they had unconsciously stopped walking. Once they realized that Matsuto was still waiting for them they stopped talking and began following him again, a little embarrassed at their blunder although Matsuto didn't seem to have noticed .

"Matsuto kun" Kagome called "How much farther do we have to go?"

"Not far, it's just up ahead." He pointed to a small mountain they passed on their way to the village.

As soon as Kagome saw the mountain an odd feeling overtook her. A wave of powerful youki washed through her body and strange tingling feeling made her spine go rigid with fear. But it went away almost a soon as it came.

"_What was that?"_

Shippou looked from where he was perched on Kagome's shoulder and saw the distressed look on her face.

"Are you okay Kagome?" he asked

She just smiled casually "Don't worry Shippou I'm fine."

Shippou took one look at the mountain and shuddered _"This place is really creepy"_

"It's right over here." Matsuto said. They climbed up a little man made mountain trail. There was a long dug up path filled with large rocks for proper footing and a sparse group of trees growing along the sides with the branches broken near the trail. It was assumed those were meant to be used as hand holds. It lead up to the top where a group of men where chopping pieces of rock from the mountain wall. They had created a small of cave from all the digging that led about five feet inward. Many of the men had pieces of cloth tied around their mouths and noses to protect themselves from all the dirt and debris.

Walking along the mountain trail they observed the villagers as they worked. Some held a variatey of tools and were using them to pound away at the stone. Others were scattered around the cave doing various odd jobs. A few of them were running around carrying baskets of excess dirt. They also saw some men who, instead of furiously breaking into the rock were chipping away parts of it. It looked similar to smoothing out jewelry.

"What are you doing here Matsuto?" A man dressed in dirty and slightly torn cloths walked out of the cave. He face was so covered with dust and dirt it looked like he was wearing a mask where only is eyes, and mouth showed. He walked towards them at slow and tired pace, carrying something that looked similar to a pickaxe over his shoulder. He voice was low and rough, and the tone of it made him sound as if he were always a little hoarse.

He walked out of the cave and stood in front of Matsuto who was staring at the ground rather guiltily.

"You know you're not allowed around here anymore."

"Yes master, I know I'm sorry." He bent low at the waist bowing humbly to him. Because of this he couldn't see the faint trace of exasperation on the man's face.

"Fine, fine, now get out of here before I have to throw you down myself."

"Yes master." Matsuto ran off the mountain at leaving trails of smoke in his wake.

The man then looked towards Kagome and her friends, unsure of what to do with them.

"And who are you. I don't think I've seen you around here before?"

"Were, um, friends of Matsuto. He met us at the edge of your village, near the old abandoned hut." Said Kagome

He stared at them for a moment, trying to register what she said. "What old hut? I've been around this village plenty of times and I've never seen an old abandoned hut."

She blushed a little, embarrassed that had forgotten Matsuto had said the same thing. "Never mind then."

"Why did you send him away?" asked Shippou. He looked away for a minute, unable to think of an appropriate answer

"Shippou-" Kagome was about to scold him for being nosy when the man interrupted her

"It's alright. You see Matsuto is a bit…clumsy. The last time we let him up here to help out he ended up knocking four men off the mountain and almost collapsing the cave. It took us three days to uncover and separate all the valuables from the useless rocks."

Kagome looked back at where they had climbed up the mountain. She felt a little sorry for Matsuto. He seemed so excited about being able to show them around.

"_He must be really proud of it"_

"If you're weary travelers then there's an inn close by you can stay at for the night. Their prices are fair so you should be able to afford a room. "

"_Either that or Miroku can just con us one" _Kagome thought.

The man turned around to observe the other villagers. "Well I suppose since it's getting late I can end my shift now. Since your new and don't know your way around I might as well take you all there myself." He walked back towards the entrance of the little cave but instead of going inside he walked around to the back. They heard some rustling and the sound of metals clinging together. He walked back towards them looking much taller without the weight of tools. He face was clean now too.

"Thank you, we really appreciate that." She bowed slightly to him.

"It's alright." And he turned shyly towards the mountain trail.

They followed him quietly through the village to the inn, which sat at the opposite end of the village. Inuyasha walked next to Kagome

"Let's not stay there to long. I don't like it here."

"I know, but we're only staying until we find out whether or not someone here knows about Naraku."

"Well wouldn't I have smelled him by now if they had."

"Not necessarily Inuyasha." Said Miroku once again

"He could have just passed over the village." Added Sango

"Yeah, and _he_ probably has something to do with what's going on." Continued Shippou

Inuyasha groaned in defeat and continued to walk with them in silence.

&

The sun lowered into the calm evening sky, prepared for a long nights rest. The clouds made light feathery blankets to protect the warm spring nights. The sun's brilliance shone through the inside of the clouds creating a hazy orange glow over the surrounding area. The bright pink horizon formed the opening gateway between the setting sun and the endless rising night.

"So as you can see my good man my friends and I would be happy to offer your inn protection from all sorts of youkai in exchange for one nights stay."

They were all standing outside the front of the inn waiting for Miroku to finish haggling for a free room. The old man he spoke to listened with utmost interest and attention.

"Oh my, well your offer sounds tempting. Hold on, I'll go check with the inn master."

Miroku could see Sango walking looking very irritated and prepared himself for a long lecture.

"Well houshi-sama you've done it again." She said dryly.

Miroku stared at her and smiled "Why thank you Sango, I hadn't realized you had such an appreciation for my talents."

She blinked for a second "That's not what I meant!" A small twitch had formed over her left eyebrow. Did he actually think she was praising him?

"Then what did you mean Sango?" The next thing Sango knew Miroku had turned around and was staring at her intently. She found herself falling into a trance as she stared back into the black depth of his eyes. She could feel them piercing her soul, calming and exciting her at the same time. She felt flushed; her face was burning and yet having him so close sent chills up her spine. She couldn't move, couldn't breath, his beauty was entrancing. Before she knew what was happening his arms wrapped around her waist pulling her close to him. His coolness of kesa was relieving against her heated skin and his slender muscular fingers perched on a strong well-toned hand would have been a wonderful addition to this moment had they not been stroking her backside.

The inn keeper met them outside again to find Miroku rubbing the sore spot on his cheek and Sango standing to the side looking flustered and angry.

"Well you're in luck today houshi-sama. It just so happens there there's been a terrible youkai plaguing the village. Whenever it appears, ghosts and evil spirits come and wreck havoc. If you and you're friends would be willing to rid our village of youkai then we would happily offer you a room."

Miroku looked genuinely surprised.

"What a coincidence eh, Miroku." Said Inuyasha. He, Kagome, and Shippou followed the old man inside. Sango glared back at him and continued to join them into the inn. Miroku followed after.

&

Gray clouds hovered over the sky obstructing any moonlight. The stars, whose radiance was normally capable of outshining even the blackest of nights, were nowhere in sight. The clouds cocooned the skies natural luminosity and replaced it with a darkness that seemed to devour the land. The earth suffocated in a black miasma that consumed everything in its path and the land was soon covered in a blanket of midnight.

The inn was comfortable and big enough to hold quite a few guests, although at the moment it looked quite empty. If there was anybody here now neither Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, nor Kagome had seen them. They sat scattered across the floor of their room eating the food the inn had provided for them.

Miroku sat near the screen, his foot dangling over the edge and holding a drink.

"I have to say Miroku, even though you did cheat them in order to get this, it is nice to have good food and a warm place to sleep at night." Said Kagome

"I'm glad you approve Kagome-sama, although I think 'cheat' is a rather harsh word. I prefer to think that we were merely offering our services to protect this defenseless inn from any sort of hostile youkai."

"And if there aren't any around?" Asked Sango.

"Then we know were doing our job." Miroku received a glare from everyone in the room and, from the nervous flabbergasted look on his face, he obviously had no other ways to justify his answer.

The old man slid open the door and walked in looking slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your meal" He bowed to them "but some of the other guests are becoming increasingly uncomfortable knowing that the youkai might come. The innkeeper would be very appreciative if you would perhaps scout the area for any youkai. That way we could all rest easy."

Everyone except Inuyasha seemed to think it was a good idea. Convincing him took more time than they expected it to, but with a little prodding from Kagome he grudgingly agreed.

Inuyasha waited outside with Kagome and Shippou. He was still looking a bit agitated about being in the village in the first place, but arguing with everyone wasn't going to solve anything and he knew it.

Sango walked outside to meet them fully dressed in her armor with Kirara at her side. Miroku walked out behind her.

Kagome looked up at the sky. It wasn't unusually this dark at night and there weren't any stars out. She wondered if it was an omen of some sort.

"Are we ready to go yet?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. Everyone nodded in response.

"All right let's get this over with. Sango, you and Miroku search east…" he pointed in the direction they were supposed to go. "And Kagome and I will search west."

"Hey, what about me?" Shippou stood in between them jumping up and down.

"Shippou you go with Sango and Miroku." Inuyasha commanded. He bent down and helped Kagome onto his back.

"We're probably not even going to find anything." He commented

"But it doesn't hurt to look." Said Kagome

"Whatever." And he took off.

Inuyasha glided effortlessly above the tress only landing occasionally so he could regain enough leverage to jump up again, when something grabbed his attention. He sensed a strange kehai in the air coming directly below him.

"Do you feel that?" He asked Kagome

"Uh-huh. Go down a little lower, I think I can see where it's coming from." Inuyasha dropped down from the skies and landed in front of a small statue.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked.

She walked closer to examine it more "It looks like a shrine, but for whom?" It had offerings of gifts and food scattered around it but they were all extremely old and decaying. Kagome could still feel a little youki of the demon whose spirit this shrine apparently inhabited.

"_Could this be the shrine of the demon the old man was talking about? But that's impossible…. What's going on here?"_

**  
End of Episode 2**

**&**

**Episode 3**  
**Myouga's impromptu descent**

Inuyasha and Kagome have discovered some incredible news about the village but with every new bit of information they find something else is left to be unsolved. The village is not what it seems and the youkai the villagers fear has somehow risen again to fight them. But is even this youkai what it appears to be?


	3. Episode 3

**Shards of Life**

**Episode 3**

**Myouga's Intervention**

Kagome could still feel a little youki of the demon whose spirit the shrine inhabited.

"_Could this be the shrine of the youkai the old man was talking about? But that's impossible…. What's going on here?"_

"Kagome, I don't like this place. Lets get out of here."

"Yeah, good idea." She climbed onto his back once more and they flew off.

The passed an innumerable span of trees before Kagome began to worry.

"Inuyasha are you sure you know where you're going?" Asked Kagome.

"I'm positive!"

"_We should be been there by now, but I don't see the inn any where_._" _He thought.

"You're _sure_ you know where it is?"

"Of course I know where it is, it's just not where I remember it being!" He hesitated "I should've at least been able to sniff it out."

"It's almost like it disappeared."

Kagome gasped and scanned the ground below. There was nothing, no sign of the inn anywhere. Even the tiny dirt path which led from the village to the inn was gone. Now there was nothing but dense forest.

Kagome looked ahead past the forest, dreading what they would find at the village.

Shippou, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara had already arrived by the time they got there. The shock on their faces realized Kagome's fears. The village and all its inhabitants were slowly grow fainter. The villagers seemed completely oblivious to what was happening and continued to go about their evening business.

Kagome spotted Matsuto heading toward a house just a few feet away from them. There was a woman standing in the doorway, who looked like his mother. She ran towards him but her hand grabbed nothing but air as she reached out to him.

"Matsuto kun…" she whispered

She watched as he walked into the house and it slowly faded into the darkness.

"The village is disappearing again just like it did last night." Said Miroku

"I smell youkai. It's coming form over there." He ran ahead of them jumping on and over the rooftops as he cascaded through the air. Kagome and Shippou sat saddled on his back while Sango and Miroku flew on Kirara's. They passed through the village watching as its people continued grow paler and fainter. By the time Inuyasha slowed down the village had completely vanished.

Directly in front of them was a huge ogre whose massive body towered over the tiny village. His skin looked made of worn stone, tinged with shades of red and purple similar to the color of dried blood. He moved in a lopsided awkward manner as though he were constantly weighted down.

Inuyasha stared up at him with his fangs bared and his eyes glowing knowing of the long awaited battle.

"Are you the one who's doing this the villagers?" Inuyasha yelled to him.

The youkai looked down at him with squinted eyes and the most insulted look crossed his face.

"Who do you think you are hanyou?! I am the great Raiujin! No one speaks to me that way!"

Inuyasha smirked in arrogance. "I don't care who you are. If you don't return this village to normal-" He voice became low and wicked grin crossed his face. "I'm going to slice off your head."

Inuyasha jumped into the air with Tessusaiga slicing through the wind at an unstoppable speed. Raiujin caught the blade just one hand before it slammed into his body. His massive hand flipped Inuyasha back up, flinging him through the air in a series of back flips before he landed. A trickle of blood splashed on the ground from the wound on Raiujin's hand where Tessusaiga had cut him.

He stared at the wound as if it belonged on someone else's hand.

Inuyasha snarled. _"Does even he know I just cut him?"_

Not a moment later he slammed the wounded hand down upon them. They narrowly escaped being crushed by the ogre's colossal extremities. Sango jumped on Kirara at the last minute grabbing Miroku by his kesa and lifting him up while Shippou was hauled up by his tail. Kirara flew close to Raiujin's head swerving up and down trying to avoid being hit by his any part of him. Sango aimed Hiraikotsu at him missing only by inches. It doubled back though and sliced through the side of his body. She caught it again with ease but the wound on his side remained unnoticed.

"Damn. What's the matter with him? Doesn't he realize he's losing?" Asked Sango

Raiujin howled with laughter as Inuyasha continued to attack him with Tessusaiga.

"Enough of this! I shall now call forth the spirits of the fallen youkai. Go forth and destroy them!" A barrage of ghost youkai flew from within his body, their colors ranging from stark white to completely transparent. Physical attacks against spirit youkai were useless as they had no effect.

"Sango take me closer!" Miroku shouted. Sango commanded Kirara to fly up towards Raiujin's head and body. She and Kirara managed to fight through the hordes of ghost youkai just long enough to allow Miroku time to channel his houriki through to the o-fuda.

"_He seems to be impervious to pain but what about bondage"._ Thought Miroku. The energy crackled and sparked like tiny bolts of lightning as they landed in random spots on the youkai's head. Flashes of blue energy erupted from the tiny strips of paper causing him howl in pain. In one quick movement he tore them off ripping a large piece of his flesh along with it. The blood was flowed freely down his face and body dripping to the ground forming large puddles of crimson water.

"He…he tore them off." Sango exclaimed

"Yes but it's just as I suspected." She looked at him strangely.

"Look down there, the youkai are beginning to disappear." It was true. The youkai Raiujin had called from his body were undeniably evaporating away or beginning to weaken.

"This youkai is nothing more than a ghostly spirit." He drew more o-fuda readying himself in case Raiujin attempted to attack him again.

"You bastard monk!" Raiujin bounded up and lunged towards them narrowly missing Kirara but leaving him open and exposed to any attack.

Miroku saw his upper hand and took his advantage throwing more o-fuda at him. One landed on his leg, the other on his stomach and the last two on his arms, pinning him down with pain.

Raiujin howled in agony once more as the o-fuda's energy relieved him of his strength. He struggled to rise from their holy grip but only ended up causing himself more pain as they held him still.

"Now are you going to cooperate or do we have to do this again." He held more up to emphasize his point. Something still puzzled him though. The houriki he channeled through the o-fuda should have been more than enough to kill the youkai and it took four just to pin him down.

"_No _please no more I'll do whatever you say!"

Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou stood off to the side staring in alarm at the now completely submissive Raiujin.

"What a weakling." He stated dryly.

"One minute he's raving on about how great he is and the next he's begging for mercy." Added Kagome

"You said it." Shippou said.

Raiujin lay on the pinned to the ground as the o-fuda's spiritual energy held him passive. Miroku and dismounted Kirara and walked over to him, Inuyasha and Kagome followed them. Raiujin's eyes grew wide with fear as Miroku approached him but Inuyasha lunged foreword ahead of him landed right in front of Miroku.

"Now, bring back those villagers or else." He held Tessusaiga erect and poised to strike. Raiujin seemed hesitant for a moment and looked like he was thinking intently on whether or not to answer.

"Hey!" Still Raiujin sat perfectly still with the exceptions of a few twitches around his face. He was staring at them but yet looking straight through them. As though he were concentrating on some far away presence.

Just as Inuyasha was about to strike at him again Raiujin finally seemed decide. "Wait, wait I'll tell you everything!" He started speaking in a frantic hurried voice. "I was once part of part of the youkai called Naraku. He threw me out of his body and I was later slain by a rounin. One day I woke up to find I had been revived by another youkai. He told that he needed my powers of controlling human souls."

"_Human souls? Was that all Matsuto-kun was? A soul?"_

Kagome let out a small gasp, Inuyasha turned around to find her staring at the ground thinking closely.

"He promised me that as long as I kept the souls of the humans alive and digging around this village then he would continue to restore my life and grant me immense power."

"_Kagome" _Inuyasha noticed her pensive stare and wondered what was troubling her until Raiujin began speaking again.

"He did not tell me what his purposes were, only that he needed the villagers to continue mining and to let him know if anything unusual was found."

"_Unusual? Like what?"_

"He-"Raiujin screamed as a blinding blue light suddenly washed through temporarily blinding them. Inuyasha seized Kagome and Shippou shielding them from the surge of power. When they looked up nothing remained of Raiujin but scorch marks and in his place stood Sesshoumaru holding Toukijin.

"_So it was indeed one of his incarnations." _Sesshoumaru thought to himself.

Inuyasha looked irate and indignant as he saw the figure standing before him

"Well if it ain't my high and mighty brother Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru sheathed Toukijin ignoring Inuyasha completely.

"You know I wasn't done with him yet." Inuyasha called to Sesshoumaru from a distance who was still ignoring him.

"Hey I'm talking to you!"

"Uh…that's not a very smart thing to do is it?" Inquired Shippou. They stood away observing the fight from the side

"No probably not." Kagome responded. They all sighed in pity for Inuyasha's foolishness.

"Sesshoumaru-" He was quickly cut off by a blast from Sesshoumaru's Toukijin.

"Do not attempt to pick a fight with me today Inuyasha. I'm not a particularly merciful mood."

Inuyasha lay on the ground barley missing the attack but slightly stunned by it's after effects.

"And when are you ever?" He said as he struggled to get up using Tessusaiga as a balance. Just as he managed to stand Sesshoumaru's poison whip came flinging at him. He managed to block of most of the attacks with the Fire Rat and quickly aimed at Sesshoumaru from the side with Tessusaiga. Sesshoumaru easily parried his attack and slashed at him with his poison claws. Inuyasha just barely missed being hit and he continued dodging several more slashes from Toukijin, all the while trying to ignore Sesshoumaru's taunts.

"What's the matter Inuyasha? A few moments ago you so were eager fight me and here you are running away." Inuyasha's temper reached had reached its breaking point.

"Shut UP!" Inuyasha put all his strength into one flying punch but it knocked him off balance long enough to give Sesshoumaru the upper hand (not that he didn't already have it before). Sesshoumaru punched Inuyasha in the back sending him flying through the air and skidding a little ways along the ground.

"Consider yourself grateful Inuyasha, for I don't have time to kill you today." With that he sheathed Toukijin and walked away.

Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kagome all ran over to where Inuyasha lay/sat. He managed to sit up despite the growing pain in his back. There was no serious wound though, since Sesshoumaru only punched him. Kagome knelt beside Inuyasha when she noticed his ears twitching. He looked up to see a tiny speck falling from the sky, which as it came closer turned out to be Myouga. He landed on top of Kagome's head and then rolled onto her shoulder looking a little dazed and green in the face.

"Myouga? How long have you been here?" Inuyasha asked.

"Uh…" They all looked up to see a crow circling around the field that they apparently hadn't noticed before.

"Not long." Myouga sounded doubtful. He was rewarded with cynical looks.

But he took on a more serious tone "Inuyasha sama I came here to warn you of a youkai that has been resurrecting other youkai in order to do his bidding, at least that's what I suppose he wants. I believe there is one all ready lurking about. Now what was his name…"

"Tsch, well that's a helpful bit of information. I already fought Raiujin. Sesshoumaru just came here and killed him off for me."

"Tsk tsk tsk. Inuyasha sama it appears you've gotten slack in your travels, I thought surely you would have been able to defeat a youkai like Raiujin on your own."

Inuyasha's eyes grew to the size of tennis balls. "It's not like I asked for his help! I could have easily beaten _that_ youkai on my own."

Myouga jumped onto Kagome's shoulder to avoid being hit.

"Well in that case I shall warn you of his master." They waited for him to finish speaking. He cleared his throat several times before finally starting though.

"Ah well…I don't know his name yet but I do know he is very powerful and ruthless. You should be wary Inuyasha." Inuyasha just looked uninterested.

"What's with everybody giving me all these warnings all of a sudden." He thought back to what Kikyou had told him earlier and received several uncomprehending looks from everyone.

"Uh, never mind." Myouga stood for a few more moments before announcing that he had to be on his way. He took of on the crow that he came on and wished them good luck before he was off. They stared at him as he flew off for a while before Inuyasha insisted that they continued moving. Kagome looked up at the rising red sun and before she knew it they were off again.

"Naomi now is the time. Go forth and seek them out." The chilling voice caressed her skin compelling her ways even she could not comprehend.

"Yes master," She answered her voice slightly seductive. "I will not fail you."

The sun scaled the sky and the clouds ascending to the peak of the distant horizon. The first rays of light touched the earth's surface enveloping it in its warm embrace as its tip reached the crest of the skies edge. Upon reaching the top it beamed to itself, for now the long nights journey through the darkness and peril was finally over.

Now that their nightlong adventure was over Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kagome decided to take a short detour in their travels. They now walked along the edge of a steep rocky slope. Now that they had passed through the thick luscious terrain of the forest they began to enter a more rocky and mountainous landscape. Forming a line along the steep mountain slope was the only way to cross the path along the mountain without the dangers of falling off. Their days on the mountain had not gone well though. Strange unexplainable things continuously went wrong. Miroku seemed to be the brunt of these misfortunes and was either the target or always around when something bad happened. Sango suggested it was because of the his karma but Miroku insisted, somewhat skeptically, that it was probably nothing but a stroke of bad luck and the shichifukujin merely had their backs turned to them.

Now that they were on their way again they were taking care to be extra careful considering their 'luck' as Miroku puts it. Inuyasha was in the lead with Sango and Miroku in the middle and Kagome trailing the back. She thought perhaps if she continued to tell her self not to look down then her she wouldn't be tempted to peer over the mountainside. No such luck though and one look was all took before she felt a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. A brief loss of concentration caused her loose her footing and she slipped on a particularly loose rock making the others underneath it collapse and she fell sliding off the mountainside. Her fall was broken by a large youkai that had the shape of a man but was covered in feathers and had a huge beak protruding out of its face. It struggled to rid itself of the extra package on it's back by flailing and thrashing around. Kagome screamed as she once again began plunging towards the bottom of the mountain. Just as Inuyasha heard her the inside of the mountain exploded and dozens of large feathered creatures began flying out in swarms knocking them all off the mountain. Inuyasha grabbed onto a stray branch on the cliff side and held on. He fought off the creatures for as long as he could but they ambushed him forcing him to let go of the mountain and fall. Sango and Miroku were struggling just as well. The creatures were all heavily armored carrying spears and other weapons. They called to each other in a series of high-pitched shrieks and other birdlike noises making concentrating a challenge. But the group could also hear human noises too. It seemed they were speaking to their comrades in their own language and communicating to the rest of them in their minds.

"_Vandals!"_

"_Disgusting humans!"_

"_Corrupted Monk!"_

"_How dare you halfling intrude on our territory!"_

Thoughts of the youkai invaded the minds of Inuyasha and his friends making it difficult to fight because they weren't able to drown out their taunting. Kagome all the while continued to fall down the mountainside, occasionally being caught by one of the creatures but then instantly being thrown off again. Inuyasha fought desperately to free himself of them but they continued to keep him from rescuing her, constantly pinning him down and throwing more insults.

"_What's wrong little hanyou? Can't get to your woman?" _

In a burst of strength Inuyasha managed to free himself of their grasp just long enough to try and find Kagome. But by the time he had gotten loose her screams had already stopped.

Kagome found herself experiencing strange sensation. She was falling but in the wrong direction because the wind was flying past her the opposite way. It occurred to her that she was not in fact falling but being lifted up. She opened her eye's to see a figure whom at first she assumed to be Inuyasha. She soon discovered the flowing white, almost silver hair belonged to someone else and she realized that she was being saved by another youkai.

End of Episode 3

**Episode 4**

**Illusionary Perception**

Kagome has been rescued by another mysterious youkai and while he seems kind enough they are unsure of what secrets he may hold. But when the youkai makes an astounding request from them there are even more reluctant to lend out so much of their trust. And how far into the truth does the youkai's story actually go? 


End file.
